Disgusting! Navy to name a ship after troop hater John Murtha

Just because John Murtha WAS a Vietnam veteran, this earns a Navy ship to be named after him? You might remember John Murtha, one of the Congress kings of pork before he died, and Pennsylvania Democrat who accused U.S. Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians “in cold blood” five years ago. Fox News reports that the Navy is naming its newest San Antonio-class amphibious transport-dock LPD 26 for Murtha, the powerful chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee who became an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq war. The members of the 70′s disco group Village People deserve their names on a Navy ship more than John Murtha does.

Murtha died in February at age 77 after complications from gallbladder surgery.

San Antonio-class ships support Marines and can carry roughly 700 troops, their equipment and vehicles. They are usually named after cities; the USS Murtha will be a break from that tradition.

The Washington Times denounced the tribute to the powerful congressman, a former Marine Corps officer, in its editorial on Thursday.

“This is a slap in the face to every service member who bridled when Murtha publicly accused Marines in Iraq of intentionally killing women and children in cold blood,” the editorial reads.

The newspaper said the honor shouldn’t go to “a political hack whose most successful defensive maneuver was saving his pork-laden earmarks from surprise attacks of fiscal responsibility.”

Another blogger wrote that it “seems oddly premature” to affix “Murtha’s name to a ship while real and continuing issues of ethics violations and abuses of power remain fresh in the collective memory.”

In February, the House ethics panel cleared Murtha in an investigation of his role in awarding defense contracts to a firm led by a former aide.

Murtha served in Korea and received a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam. In 1974 he became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress and went on to serve his Pennsylvania district for 18 terms.

But the Navy’s decision to honor him has become the focus of controversy because of his criticism of the Iraq war.

In 2002, Murtha voted to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, but his growing frustration over the administration’s handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.

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April 15, 2010 · Filed Under Democrats


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  • Sundown

    I can’t say that I know much about the controversy surrounding Senator Murtha. It is my understanding that he was a Vietnam veteran. To imply that someone is unpatriotic because they vote Democratic or oppose (or worse yet, question) the war, is not only incorrect, it is just flat wrong! I’m a retired 20 year Army man and combat veteran working in Iraq in support of the US Army. I’m not here because I agree with the political reasons our military is here. I’m here because I believe in the US soldier.I generally vote Democratic, and I’m probably a liberal. I get the feeling a lot of you guys think people like me don’t exist. Well…We do. We’re supporting the troops and waving the flag and watching our politicians and debating the Americans on the other side of the aisle like good Americans should! Thank you,God Bless America

  • Sundown

    Out of curiosity, I looked up the late Senator Murtha on wikipedia. According to the website, Senator Murtha served in Vietnam 1966-1967 and was awarded the Bronze Star with “V”device, 2 Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the USMC Reserve as a Colonel in 1990,receiving the Navy Distinguished Medal upon retirement. Those opposed to honoring him should considering weighing their military record against Senator Murtha’s. As for the senator’s harsh rebuke of the Marines in question: My best guess is that he was momentarily thinking as a commander and not as a politician. He was policing his own ranks. The Marines (with the exception of one I believe) were court-martialed and acquitted. As a Vietnam veteran he probably didn’t want another My Lai. Save your harsh criticisms for this generation’s Jane Fondas and Timothy Learys. Drop these attacks on an old dead Marine. Let him rest in peace and with honor. God Bless America